The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus control method, an information processing apparatus, and a storage device control method.
To use a storage device, it is necessary for the manager to set information of a configuration or a layout of the storage device. The configuration includes, for example, information of definitions of logical units configured in hard disk drives of the storage device.
From an information processing apparatus communicably connected to the storage device, the manager transmits instructions such as an instruction to set the configuration information and an instruction to refer thereto to the storage device.
Depending on cases, the information processing apparatus stores as a database a copy of the configuration information of the storage device. By referring to the configuration information stored in the storage device, the information processing apparatus can creates a setting instruction to be sent to the storage device.
For example, JP-A-2003-108412 describes a procedure of updating such configuration information. Specifically, when the configuration information of a storage device is updated, an information processing apparatus connected to the storage device transfers information of any change in the configuration information to the information processing apparatus (a storage management server) to thereby update the configuration information stored in the database of the information processing apparatus.
In operations such as an operation to initialize a storage device and an operation to replace a hardware unit, many configuration information items are required to be set. Once the information processing apparatus transmits a first setting instruction to the storage device, the information processing apparatus can send a second setting instruction thereto only after receiving a reply from the storage device in response to the first setting instruction. That is, in the setting of a plurality of configuration information items, a period of wait time takes place for the communication of information between the information processing apparatus and the storage device. This resultantly deteriorates operability of the storage device.